Shinobi Arcana
by The Bellmaker
Summary: Naruto is taken on as a wizard's apprentice at a young age. How will this affect him as a ninja? Will he overcome the challenges in his path and become Hokage? Can he?
1. Of Beginnings and an End

**AN: Well, I was reading a few Naruto fics that featured him as a magic-user, and something about the good ones spoke to me. So, here I am, for some unknown reason, writing one. Dunno why, really, but the muse says "do it", and so...**

**Disclaimers:I do not own Naruto. Really.  
This fic is AU. I will be fiddling with geography, slightly, and the nature of things. I don't want any complaints, like "No, no, no, That doesn't go there!" ("lol n00bZ0rZ! 5u|\|/-\ iz \/\/357 0v k0n0|-|A!" will get you SHOT.) This is unbetaed, though, so if you spot a mistake in grammar or spelling, just bring it to my attention. I'll take care of it.**

**Shinobi Arcana**

_Chapter the First:_

_Of Beginnings and an End_

* * *

"Oof!" A small blond boy in a bright orange jumpsuit fell backwards as he ran into someone. "Hey! Watch where you're going old man!"

Said old man frowned down at the boy. "It seems to me, you are the one who should watch where they are going, boy. Why are you in such a rush, anyway? You're too young to worry yourself with whatever it is. Calm down. Stop and smell the roses."

The boy made a rude gesture at the old man.

*CRACK*

"Owww!"

The old man had brought his walking stick down on the boy's head. "Show respect to your elders, child." He shifted his feet a bit. "Why, when I was a boy - "

Luckily, what looked to be a long lecture was cut suddenly short when two chuunins arrived. "Naruto! We have you now! You're coming with us!"

"And why," the old man standing behind Naruto spoke slowly, "Would he do that?"

The nin bristled at the lazy tone this old _civilian _took with them. "Do you know what he's done?! He vandalised the Hokage's tower! _Paint bombs_, old man! he rigged traps all over the place!" Naruto stuck his tongue out at the chuunin.

"Really...? And he wasn't caught before his little prank was triggered? And here I thought you ninja were better than that. Certainly too good to be fooled by the simple illusion of a novice..." The old man waved his staff through the boy, who seemed slightly surprised it passed right through him. "I wouldn't want to hold you up in your search. Go on."

Fuming, the two ninja disappeared, searching for the boy who so recently was within their grasp.

The bearded one turned to Naruto, grinning cheekily. "How'd it go?" he asked, a roguish gleam in his eye.

Slightly nervous about this suddenly friendly old man, who even hid him from the vengeful ninja, he muttered, "Uhh...what do you mean...?"

"The prank! I, the mighty Baz Baeaz, may not look it now, but I was quite the hellraiser when I was a lad! Call it a professional interest...Now, come on, how did it go?" Baz asked, striking a pose enhanced by the sudden rumble and roar of thunder, despite the totally cloudless sky.

"It was so cool!" Naruto exclaimed, with a huge smile, "I just put up some tripwires, and..." He detailed his great scheme of ultimate genius to the kindly old man, who really didn't seem _that _suspicious...

"Boy, I like you. How would you like to learn something _really_ cool?"

* * *

**One year later...**

"Master! Master!" The eight-year-old cried in panic, cornered near his teacher's home. "Help me!"

"Demon brat! Who would help you?" A voice cried out, as the annual angry mob drew closer to the trapped boy, "No-one cares about you! You'll die here, and the entire village will be free of you!"

Every year that Naruto could remember, an angry mob had formed on his birthday, calling for his blood. They normally caught him near dusk, and beat him for a while, before dispersing, their rage sated. This year's birthday mob, though, was different. They seemed...hungry. More of them carried weapons than normal, and most of those were of a decidedly lethal sort. There were even a few angry ninja in there, leading the mob. He could tell, this year, they would not be contented by a mere beating...No, they were out for his head.

So, he fled to the only place he could call safe. The home of his Master and Teacher.

"Master...!" The crowd descended upon him, and the first to reach him struck out with a piece of wood. There was a meaty smack, and the crying boy gasped...where was the pain?

"No-one...NO-ONE...lays a HAND on my apprentice!" Naruto opened his eyes to see his Master standing there, the piece of wood broken over him. "Go now. I will not be responsible for the fates of those who stay." The boy could feel the brief release of power he had come to associate with his Master's Art, and the rear of the mob melted away into the gathering darkness...but not nearly enough.

"Bastard! Demon-lover! Get him!" One of the few ninja charged through the thinned crowd at Baz, who simply stood there, impassive.

"If such is your choice." The aged man said, emotionlessly, "Who am I to turn you from your path? _Dorme._" With a wave of his hand, the ninja fell, like a marionette with severed strings. His sword skittered across the ground.

"Get him!" The mob took up the cry, and surged toward Baz and his charge. The old man shook his head, saddened by the mindless hate.

"Your lives are forfeit. _Signum mortarum!_" Tracing an intricate pattern in the air, Baz activated one of his deadliest magicks, for nothing less could ascertain the safety of them both. A sickly green rune appeared in the air, shielded from Naruto's gaze by the old man's body. Its effects, though, were brutally obvious. All of the civilians, and all but three of the ninja dropped soundlessly, their very souls torn from their bodies and cast screaming into the next life. The three ninja who did not simply fall met a far worse fate. Blood burst from their eyes, ears, and mouths as the effort of holding onto their souls and lives began to destroy their bodies from the inside, and they too fell. Shuddering in exhaustion and grief at what he was forced to do, the tired old man turned to Naruto, his apprentice, and asked the obvious question.

"Lad, are you all righ- Hurgh!" One of the fallen ninja was not quite dead, as the sword in his hands traveled through the body of the old mage, up from his lower back to protrude from his chest. The offending ninja met his end as an invisible force reached into his chest and _squeezed_. Baz fell to his knees.

Breathing wetly and heavily, the ancient spoke to Naruto, "Naruto...here...take this." With a wave of his hand, a book appeared on the ground before Naruto. "It is...a book of...spells. It...can guide you...in your studies. I had wished..." A horrible, wet cough racked his body, and the eight-year-old could only watch in horror as his Master, Teacher, and most importantly, Friend, died in an alley, right before his eyes. But the old man continued to talk, "...to guide you...on your path. It is not to be. Naruto, my boy, my boy, use my teachings well!"

Baz Baeaz, the nearest thing Naruto had to a family, breathed his last, and slumped to the ground. The weeping boy picked up the book, and ran blindly away, going anywhere, anywhere but that horrible place of death!

* * *

The next day, a new student was enrolled at the Ninja Academy. A sad blond boy, who seemed to change his entire personality within a month, from a quiet boy, who was sometimes found with tears in his eyes, to a cheerful prankster, whose bright smile seemed completely open and free. He had few friends, oddly enough for such an open and happy boy, and was almost instantly shunned by his classmates upon entering the Academy, with the parents whispering darkly when they thought they were out of earshot. None of this young generation understood why Naruto was different, why he above all others was to be avoided, not even Naruto himself.

But it was so.

* * *

**A/N: Well, here is a rough chapter one for a fic that's been running through my head for a while now. I got maybe a hundred words into it before getting distracted by my other fic, _Deidara Has a Brother?! _and in the lull between chapters three and four wrote the rest of it in a couple hours. **

**I, erm...haven't even started chapter four yet. Sorry! Finals are Monday and Wednesday, so I'll have some more writing time after that. I'll see what comes out. Now, this is only a prologue, and I'm a bit dissatisfied with how it turned out. I may revise sometime in the distant future, but for now, it is as it is.**

**Reviews, please! I like reviewers! I'll even respond!**


	2. On A Lighter Note

**A/N: Whee! I'd like to thank _redfox1217, nwspor, _and especially _kirallie _for reviews! And, I'd like to note, the first chapter of this story got more hits and visitors in a single day than the entirety of _Deidara Has a Brother?!_ got in it's first month. I really don't know how to take this.**

**Disclaimer: As is fairly obvious, I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

_Shinobi Arcana_

_Chapter Two_

_On a Lighter Note..._

"Today, as you all know, you will be tested for graduation from the Ninja Academy! If you can pass this test, you will be a fully fledged ninja of Konoha! Now, we'll start with..." Umino Iruka, Chuunin and Academy Instructor, paused to pick up a pair of chalkboard erasers. His voice took on a lighter note, "Naruto...Shikamaru...WAKE UP!" He roared at the offenders, hurling the erasers at the sleepy students like a pair of kunai. Shikamaru, his head on his arms, merely received a painful rap on the top of his head. Naruto, however, was leaning back in his chair, head back, and when the eraser struck his chin, he flipped over backwards.

"Ow! What was that for?" The orange-clad boy whined, rubbing the back of his head where he had struck it on the floor.

"Sleeping in class! Now sit down and listen!" Iruka said, and took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Now, the first part of the graduation exam is a written test on theory and history. After that is an obstacle course, Taijutsu test, and finally you will be tested on one of the basic three jutsu. Now, Mizuki-sensei is passing out the test sheets, so get started once you have one."

Naruto chewed the end of his pencil. _Gah! I don't know this stuff! _He began to mark random answers on the test, hoping that sheer luck would save him. After the test, the class filed outside to the obstacle course. After giving a pretty good run on the obstacle course, Naruto followed the rest of the class over to the taijustsu evaluation. When his time came to step into the ring, the chuunin in charge grinned, looking forward to embarrassing the Demon Brat and failing him out of the graduation. But when the boy took his position, he entered a stance entirely unfamiliar to the examiner. His left hand was open, extended before him, with his right held almost directly in front of his face, also open.

"What do you think you're doing?!" The examiner asked angrily, "What sort of stance is that?"

Naruto blinked. "My Mas...erm, Sensei, called it _Lenis Manus Prudentiae. _The Gentle Hand of Wisdom. Pretty cool, huh?" Everyone blinked in confusion as the totally foreign words rolled so easily from the Dead-Last's tongue, and everyone missed the slight 'eep' from a white-eyed girl who had yet to be tested. Hinata gasped in shock at seeing an open-handed stance that not only looked so similar to her own clan's Jyuuken, but had a very similar name. She surreptitiously activated her Byakugan, curious as to how deeply the similarities ran.

"You're just making it hard for yourself! If that's what you want..." The chuunin took a stance of his own, "The test starts now!" He began with a simple lunge, punch flying, confident in the weakness of Naruto's unusual stance, and his own skill. Naruto's left hand snaked forward almost lazily, and with a circular motion, redirected the force of the punch slightly to the left, while he took a single step forward, turning his body. Hinata watched carefully as the right hand slammed into the chuunin's side...no-where near any of his tenketsu. There wasn't even a burst of chakra...but the results were surprising. The man cried out in pain, and clutched his side, as Naruto, taking advantage of this momentary lapse, struck the man in the shoulder, his fingers digging into the target. Everyone watching could only stare as the chuunin's arm went limp. The blond-haired boy grabbed the struck shoulder, not withdrawing his hand, and with his other hand hit the examiner in the back of the knee, collapsing the man's leg.

"Gah...! P-pass!" The chuunin almost seemed to..._whimper?_Naruto let go of the ninja's shoulder, and turned away, walking towards the group of students who had already been tested.

"Heheheh! Yeah!" He pumped his fist in the air. "Oh, and Sensei? You'll be able to feel your arm again in a minute, don't worry! It'll hurt like hell, though!"

* * *

"The final exam begins now! You will be tested on the Bunshin jutsu. When your name is called, please go into the testing room. First up, Kensei Icheida!" Iruka explained the last test, and called the first student up.

_Noooo! _Naruto cried out in his mind, dropping his head into his hands, _That's my worst jutsu! Hey...yanno, this is kinda comfortable..._He yawned, unconsciously mimicking Shikamaru a few rows over. _A few minutes couldn't hurt...I mean...it's always good to be well-rested, right?_

"Naruto...Naruto...NARUTO!"

"Gah!" The boy snapped into wakefulness with a gout of flame, accidentally singeing the kid behind him.

"My eyebrows! My glorious eyebrows! No...! Rock Lee...my mentor...I am dishonoured!"

"Sorry!" Naruto called, as he dashed excitedly to the testing room. "Alright! Let's do this!"

"You'll be expected to create at least three clones, Naruto, got that?" Iruka said sternly, "Begin when you're ready."

"Right!" Naruto began to mold and gather his chakra, forming the handseal required for the jutsu. He gathered too much, though, for a bunshin...far too much. It started to manifest around him, and Iruka was about to tell him to stop when there was a 'poof' and the room filled with the soft white clouds of smoke that accompanied so many bunshin jutsu. A faint chanting in a strange cadence could be heard, briefly, and when the smoke cleared, there were NINE Narutos! Each was exactly alike, indistinguishable, and all of them were grinning widely and giving Iruka and Mizuki a big thumbs up. "Yes! Success!"

"Um...well, you only needed to create three clones...But, you pass! Congratulations, Naruto! How about you and I get some ramen, later, eh?" Iruka seemed happy, but Mizuki...just looked sort of numb. Almost like some master plan he'd been waiting to execute for months or years just came crashing down around his head, and he was at a loss as to how. Hm. Odd.

"Now, Naruto, listen. You put _way_ too much chakra into that technique. You're lucky it came out as well as it did. In fact, you're lucky you didn't hurt yourself! Do you understand? Be more careful, next time!"

"Heheh, don't worry, Sensei! I'll be fine!" Naruto's clones faded away, and he walked out of the room, waving happily to Iruka and Mizuki on the way. _Yeah! They didn't notice a thing! _He mentally pumped a fist in the air. _Stupid bunshin jutsu...only jutsu I was ever good at was henge, anyway...the Art is so much more useful!_

"Hey...Mizuki...?" Iruka turned to the other teacher.

"...Eh? Uh, what?" The white-haired man looked over at the scarred ninja, still with a defeated expression on his face.

"You notice anything wierd about that jutsu?"

"...No. What?"

"Well...shouldn't they have dispersed into smoke? Those just...sort of faded away."

The stunned expression faded slightly, replaced with a more thoughtful look. "Yeah...Yeah, you're right." He lapsed into silence. Maybe this could work out in his favour after all. He just needed a new bait for the trap...

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know, not much action yet. I'm sorry! And what's worse it's SHORTER than last chapter! So very sorry! It looks like Mizuki may still get to Naruto, even though he passed. I hope to have at least two thousand words for the next chapter...and I haven't really been working on my other story, either...**

**Anyway, I hope to expand on his studies later, or maybe go back and re-write these early chapters to give a better idea of how it all works, with the magic and the jutsu. A brief explanation for those who are curious:**

**_Lenis Manus Prudentiae: _**The Gentle Hand of Wisdom was a style developed on the far side of the Wastes, for use by people like healers and mages. They do not have much oppotunity to train their bodies during their studies, and are often physically weak, and even frail. So, they use a style that makes every hit count, using pressure points, nerve clusters, and in some cases even blocking blood flow to disable or kill their opponent. In this case, Naruto won because the tester was very overconfident, and unfamiliar with the style. So, Naruto caught him by surprise. No, Naruto is not some master of the style, but he's at least the equal of Sasuke in a straight-up taijutsu-only fight, and with the advantage of surprise, could take an opponent much more skilled than that. It is not unlikely that in the distant past, the Jyuuken and _Lenis Manus _were the same style, and grew into two seperate schools on the different sides of the wastes.

**Well, it's a bit of a setup chapter, but still, tell me what you think! Reviews please! I will respond...well, as long as it's signed! I can't reply if it's an anonymous review! **


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